Obama in Baltimore: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

We stood, 40,000+ strong, for hours in the cold Saturday for a chance to see our president-elect speak in Baltimore. We passed the time swaying to spirituals from Morgan State University’s choir. We sang along to Aretha Franklin (“Respect”) and Stevie Wonder (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”) and bounced up and down to Kanye West and Britney Spears. We made friends with the folks sharing their body heat and their hearts with us. (Dawne and Sharna from Upper Marlboro, Md. — you two made the time go by so much quicker! They did the Electric Slide, they sang, they made us laugh and we thank you for it!)

Barack Obama in Baltimore, Jan.17, 2009 (Chansanchai)

We didn’t get as early a start as we’d hoped, but it was one less hour to spend in the 20 degree cold and parking at The Sun, we were able to witness a Baltimore County Police and Maryland State Trooper motorcade flash their lights by us as we walked to the War Memorial near City Hall. Entrepreneurs hawking buttons, t-shirts and hand/toe warmers called out their wares as we got closer to the security screeners, which, thanks to helpful volunteers, was a blissfully efficient and well-organized process (the same couldn’t be said for the exit process). We filed in and found a spot to the right of the stage and observed the snipers observing us from surrounding rooftops.

Two things I learned: I needed better insulated shoes and/or better foot warmers and there’s no need to buy swag until afterward, since buttons and pins were not encouraged at the event.

Sometimes we lost the feeling in our toes, other times we were tested by those around us who blocked our view, but when Barack Obama finally arrived at 4:20 p.m. at the podium in front of the War Memorial, the spirit of hope he forged throughout his campaign washed over anew, energizing the audience. His message was especially well received in Baltimore, a city that despite the Ravens’ victories has been beset with scandal with the indictment of Mayor Sheila Dixon and an ongoing battle against drugs.

Baltimore was the last stop on his Whistle Stop tour. Having been in Philadelphia earlier that day, he tied his message to the founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence they signed more than 200 years ago. Our times, he said, were no less revolutionary than those days and each one of us had to invest in a new declaration of independence. We had to tap into the same perseverance and idealism that inspired those leaders.

“We believe our future is our choice,” he said, reminding me of a certain line from “Terminator 2” and yet, making it clear that patriotism did not mean blind allegiance, but rather a conscientious decision to take responsibility and help out those around us.

“Let all of us do our part to rebuild this country,” he challenged, as he pledged to take us on his journey to the White House and beyond. “Let us seek together a better world in our time.”